The Supreme Court of India has asked the Central government to frame a no-fault compensation policy for serious adverse events resulting from Covid-19 vaccination. The Court also observed that formation of such a framework should not be construed as admission of liability or fault on the part of the Union of India or any other authority.
The division bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, according to news reports, added that the government shall continue the existing mechanism for monitoring adverse events following immunisation, and may place relevant data in the public domain periodically.
The order was in a petition filed by the parents of two girls passed away, allegedly owing to After Effects From Immunisation (AEFI) following Covid-19 vaccination. Responding to the plea for setting up of a separate expert body to look into the side effects of Covid-19 vaccine, the Court observed that there is no need for such a body, said reports.
It may be noted that the Kerala High Court has in the year 2022, issued an order directing the government to public all the details regarding the clinical trials conducted on the Covid-19 vaccines and to facilitate the reporting of suspected adverse events by individuals and private doctors on a virtual platform and the reports so made shall be publicly accessible after being given unique identification numbers, without listing any personal or confidential data of the persons reporting. The Supreme Court, in its latest order, directed the government to follow these directions, added reports. |